The beauty of having a larger home is that we each have a space to call our own, a personal retreat if you will. For the boys, they have their bedroom and the sun room where they love to spend their time. For me it's my bedroom, office and soon to be garden (I'll share more on that soon!) and for my husband he has his "Man Cave".
We live in a split level home with three sets of stairs. One going up, one going down, and one going even further down into the basement. There aren't any windows in this space so it made the perfect place for a theater room / man cave.
First On the List - Painting!
We used Sherwin Williams - Dark Night on the walls for a few reasons.
Dark colors in a windowless or low lit space will expand the walls making your space feel larger. It may seem counterintuitive but when you use light colors in low lit spaces they can often appear flat or dull. So if you have a basement or low lit area like a half bathroom, consider going dark!
The name, Dark Night, had my husband sold on the color right away! He's a fan of Batman and "Dark Knight" so it seemed fitting. There's power in a name right?
In the shadows this color feels super neutral almost black but as soon as you shine a little light you'll see a beautiful richness, depth and warmth to the color. We've loved it so far!
Painting the man cave was at the top of the priority list when we moved in. By day 2 in our new home this space had already been painted with its second coat and was ready and waiting for furniture.
Next Up - Furniture
We didn't anticipate that none of our sofas or sectionals would fit around the corner and down the stairs into the basement. But when move in day came we soon discovered we'd need to find something new, modular and fast!
I searched for a week or two, checking local stores and online and nothing appeared to be the right size, configuration, within our budget or available to ship now. Until I came across this fabulous sectional from Costco the Thomasville Tinsdale Fabric Sectional with Storage Ottoman (more sources at the bottom!)
Not only is each piece separate and so we can adjust and move each piece however we'd like but it also has added storage perfect for those comfy blankets. It was also delivered in less than a week, they unpacked it, took all the cardboard for recycling and put all the pieces together for us. We were very pleased with their service and the product when it arrived!
It checked all the boxes, right size, fully adjustable layout with each seat separate, delivery was within a week of ordering it, the color was great against our dark backdrop and the price was right at $2K!
I do need to mention I was very impressed with the delivery. Not only did they unbox everything and take all the cardboard away for recycling. They also carried every piece down the tight staircase and assembled it in the basement for us! I'd highly recommend costco's delivery service. We also purchased out Kitchenaid Refrigerator from them and had a similar experience.
Finally, Artwork & Furnishings!
My husband is a huge fan of Star Wars, Batman, Lord of The Rings, Spiderman and more. I wanted to show off his love of entertainment in a cohesive modern way and so I went to some of my go to art sources to find art for the walls. Here are more of my go to art sources if you're on the hunt! (Art Sources for Less - Blog Post)
In this case I found what I was looking for on Etsy in the form of digital downloads! I got a pack of 24 x 36 frames from Michaels and hung them on the wall! Hanging them prooved to be more tricky than I anticipated. It appears there's only a small gap between the sheetrock and the concrete walls behind so there wasn't enough depth for my go to wall hangers. So we had to use the studs, screws and wires to hang them instead. As a result, the frames pull the prints slightly inwards showing ripples on occasion. I'm still working that out 🤪 but I hope to find a solution soon! I'm thinking a dowel behind to keep the frame square or working out a new hanging method that doesn't involve a wire. I'll let you know when I figure it out!
I found this fabulous geometric wool rug from HomeGoods and it adds just the right amount of pattern and texture. At first, I was worried about using a wool rug, yes I know wool rugs are amazing they clean up well and can be lifetime heirloom pieces but, in the past I've had an allergy to wool. Shuffling through piles of wool rug and fabric samples while have made my arms rash out 😳. Luckily, this rug has been fabulous and not an allergic reaction in sight!
I hope you enjoyed this first look at our family Cave! Its been fun to see the transformation and bring pieces together. We just purchased trim for the LED lighting to go on the ceiling or walls (still trying to decide which) The air compressor and brad nailer just arrived in the mail today too so we'll be working on that project soon! Stay tuned!
❤️/ Hillaree
Many Requests for Sources - Check them out here!
Paint Color: Sherwin Williams - Dark Night (SW 6237)
Artwork:
Batman (I'll be adding this one soon!)
Frames
Sectional
Plant
Rug
Home Goods - Sorry I couldn't find the exact one!
Console
Wood & Metal - I've had it for years! No source but here's something similar!
